


Lethonomia

by ActualBird



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Beau is very gay, Caleb Widogast Deserves Nice Things, F/F, Gay Panic, Lonely Essek Thelyss, M/M, Mighty Nein as Family, Modern AU, Yasha Needs a Hug (Critical Role), no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActualBird/pseuds/ActualBird
Summary: Shadowhand Essek was pleased when the war ended with the Dwendalian Empire. Not only did it mean he didn't have to plan battles and fight anymore, It meant he could finally sit back and focus on his research. That is until some idiot diplomat decided that to make the peace work, there needed to be a cultural exchange. Suddenly he was thrust far from his quiet tower into the practically barbaric Empire to teach at a University in Rexxentrum. He's determined not to let this deter his research, certain he can stay just as focused as ever. Except there's an oddly familiar scruffy man in the library that seems to know exactly the right books, and Essek could swear he's seen him before.
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett/Yasha, Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 27
Kudos: 147





	1. In Which a Book is Required and a Cat is not to be Trifled With

It had been a long day and Essek desperately wanted nothing more than to settle down to his work. He’d graded all the papers for the week and held the office hours he dreaded. He deserved to sit down with a cup of tea and immerse himself in something important. Except...except he never picked up that blasted book. Hughnon’s 3rd book of Transmutation. Not for the first time, or even the hundredth time, Essek longed to be back home in his tower filled with every book he would ever want. This exchange program was going to be the death of him, or at least the death of his research. But he couldn’t very well tell the Bright Queen why it was imperative he remain at home in his library studying blasphemy. So now he had to make do with whatever paltry collection the university library had, and he could either work in his cramped office or his hotel room with shockingly thin walls. 

Essek sighed and tucked a stray hair back into place, glancing at his reflection in the window to confirm he was presentable. He swept out of his office, closing the door behind him with a thought and locking it with a twitch of his fingers. He floated down the hall, glad at least that the rest of the department was gone by now and he would be spared the small talk the denizens of the Empire seemed so fond of. He was a curiosity here he knew, he was supposed to be sharing the vast culture of Xhorhas and learning what he could of the empire to bring home to his people. One of the many cultural exchanges taking place between the two countries in an attempt to strengthen the peace. He floated out onto the walking path that cut round the back of the University. He scoffed, as if both countries weren’t using the opportunity to stockpile weapons and information for the next round. The noise drew the curious glances of a pair of swaying students on their way back towards the dorms. He ignored them and continued on towards the library. 

It was a large building, three stories high and made of brick to match the rest of the campus. He was pleased to see the lights were still on, casting squares of yellow across the small garden that spanned the front of the library. Bolstered by the knowledge he hadn’t come too late, he continued on to the door and opened it with a wave of his hand. He floated into a large room carpeted in blue with tall bookshelves lining the walls. There were curling staircases on either side leading to the upper floors, and he could just see the tops of the bookshelves on the second floor over the balcony.

It seemed not as many students were interested in their studies as they were in the evening’s revelry. There was a small handful of students scattered throughout the long heavy wood tables, each in varying degrees of exhaustion and desperation. His eyes finally rested on the large wooden counter set in a ring centered a dozen feet from the door. Normally there would be an eager student worker wearing a hastily donned blue sash, or a more seasoned member of the staff draped in blue robes that actually knew where to find your books. Instead on the counter, grooming itself seemingly with no care for the fact this was a library not a menagerie, was a fluffy ginger cat. 

Essek came to a halt at the front desk, hovering uncertainly. He stared at the cat, and after a long moment of what he was sure was willful ignorance, the cat finally turned it’s head towards him. It looked him over with an air of utter boredom before setting itself to the important task of licking its own ass. Essek wrinkled his nose and averted his gaze. There had to be someone In charge here. The Empire may be a backward backwater of a country, but the Cobalt Soul was a worldwide network. Surely they wouldn’t leave one of their repositories, no matter how small, unguarded. 

“Ah...Hallo” Essek turned back towards the spiral staircase to his left. As if summoned by the professor’s dismay, an unkempt human man stopped mid descent, looking up from the open book in his hand. His reddish brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and stray hairs fell across his forehead. His voice was soft and it took Essek a moment to pin down his accent as Zemnian. He had distant blue eyes, which Essek had plenty of time to inspect as the man had frozen the moment they locked eyes. There was something...oddly familiar about the man, perhaps he'd seen him around the university. After an uncomfortably long moment the man seemed to realize he was staring and hastily shoved his book into a grubby long brown coat. He dropped his gaze, coughed awkwardly and came the rest of the way down to the library floor. 

“Good evening,” Essek replied, remembering himself. Perhaps this...scruffy person could help him. “Where might I find the librarian? I’ve need of a tome.” 

“What tome are you looking for” The man asked, running a hand through his unkempt hair. “I might be able to help.” He added lamely, striding behind the desk with the energy of one who dearly wished to dive for cover. 

The man didn’t have a scrap of blue on him. Then again the cat certainly wasn’t going to help him. “I’m looking for Hughnon’s 3rd book of Transmutation if you have it.” 

“Oh? Yes I believe it’s…” The man looked up briefly, tapping his fingers against his leg. “Second floor, row 3C. Third shelf from the bottom on the right hand side. You might want to try Timoren’s treatise as well, should be on the next shelf down.” It was Essek’s turn to stare. The man met his gaze briefly and then looked down to the carpet. “He has some interesting thoughts in counter to Hughnon’s twelfth law of transmutation.” He mumbled to the floor. 

“Thank you.” Essek said cooly, turning to the nearest spiral staircase and ascending. He glided down the aisles until he found the row the...scruffy man had indicated. He found the thick tome he was looking for just where he’d said it would be. Essek tucked it under his arm and turned to go back the way he came only to find his way blocked by the ginger feline. He frowned down at it. 

“Move.” He ordered. The cat was unimpressed. It looked towards the shelf. Essek followed it’s gaze and spotted a small green leather bound book. Embossed on the spine was _Timoren’s Treatise _. “I don’t require another book.” Essek insisted, attempting to move around the cat in a dignified manner befitting his station. The cat was faster than he was. They stood, well sat and hovered, staring at each other until Essek finally gave in. He pulled the treatise from the shelf and tucked it on top of his intended prize. The cat made a contented noise and wandered off into the stacks with air of smugness Essek felt was unwarranted, or at least unseemly.__

__By the time he returned to the circulation desk the strange man was gone. He’d been replaced by a bored looking brown skinned woman in a blue crop top wearing a long blue sleeveless vest. Her hair was shorn on the sides and the remainder was pulled into a loose bun. She sat back in the chair, feet on the desk and flipping through a weathered thin book. Clearly the Cobalt Soul preferred to give the late night shifts to the more...lacking recruits. Any scribe in the royal library of Xhorhas would be fired on the spot for displaying such a disregard for propriety. She glanced at him over the top of her book and raised an eyebrow. “You’re new.” She said, giving him an appraising look. “What do you want?”_ _

__It took a moment for Essek to recover from her blatant lack of manners. “I am Professor Thelyss. I need to check out these books.” He set the books along with his faculty ID on the counter. She sighed and put her book aside, kicking her legs off the counter so she could lean over and grab the books. She gave them each a cursory glance, arching an eyebrow before swiping them over the scanner built into the desk. She picked up his ID and inspected it for longer than Essek was strictly comfortable with before swiping it and sliding it back across the counter to him. “You that exchange guy? Must have drawn the short straw.” She remarked, snatching the receipt from a small printer and passing it to him along with the books._ _

__“I...yes.” Essek said, “It is an honor to serve as a bridge between our people I’m sure.” He added drily, snatching his books and ID from the counter. “Good day novice.” He said imperiously, sweeping out of the library and back into the cool night air. He nearly missed the amused snort from behind him, he pretended to ignore it. He was the Shadowhand, he was above any insult a fledgling initiate could hurl at him._ _


	2. In Which Beau has a Crush and Caleb Tries His Hand at Blackmail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beau is very gay and Caleb is very nervous.

“Friendly guy isn’t he?” Beau remarked as Caleb returned to the desk. He glanced over as the door closed with a resounding thud and winced. It seemed the monk had been as diplomatic as ever.

“I do not think he is ah..used to your charm _novice _Beauregard.” He murmured, his mouth twitching upward at the corners. Caleb moved around the counter, taking a seat beside her. Beau snorted again and retrieved her book, flipping back to the page she’d been reading.__

__“You okay man? I haven’t seen you run for cover like that since the Kappa guys thought you were a pledge.” She nudged him good-naturedly with her elbow. Apparently he’d not been as adept at hiding his nerves as he’d thought, she’d never admit it but he knew her well enough now to know when she was concerned._ _

__Caleb coughed and looked down at his own book. “Ja, I just...was not expecting to see the Shadowhand here.”_ _

__Beau looked back towards the doors, eyebrows raised. “That was the Shadowhand? No wonder he had a stick up his ass.” She glanced back over to him and furrowed her brow. “You know him?”_ _

__“We ah met once or twice before. A long time ago.” Caleb answered softly. “It’s not something I like to think about.” Beau looked for a moment like she was going to keep asking questions, but apparently the How Not to be an Asshole lessons with Fjord were paying off._ _

__“Let me know if you want me to kick his ass.” She said instead, flexing her fingers._ _

__“That should not be necessary, but thank you Beauregard.” Caleb offered her a small smile. if it came to that he could just leave he reasoned. No reason to drag the others into it. There was a resounding ding from Beau’s pocket and a buzz from his own, shaking him out of his thoughts. He pulled out his battered flip phone to the group chat._ _

__THE MIGHTY NEIN_ _

__FLUFFERNUTTER: CALEB BEAU WHEN WILL YOU BE HOME CAD IS MAKING PANCAKES YOU CAN REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE_ _

__He smiled and painstakingly started tapping out a reply, but as usual Beau beat him to it, her thumbs blurring across the screen of her phone._ _

__FUCK SLEEVES: Fuck yes let me kick these nerds out, we’ll be right there._ _

__He glanced up at Beauregard as she leaned over to the intercom and pressed the button. “Times up nerds get the fuck out.”_ _

__He let out a small sigh and restarted his message._ _

__CALEB: We will apparently be home shortly, thank you Nott._ _

__#1TRAVELERFAN: See you soon you guys!!!_ _

__“I’m starving.” Beau said as she vaulted over the desk to carry out her nightly roundup of the stragglers. Caleb shook his head as he watched her go, and tucked his notebook back inside the holster under his arm. Most of the students that stayed this late already knew the drill. The library technically closed at 1:00AM, but Beau was almost always there far later working on her own research. As long as they didn’t bother her they could stay until she was finished and not a minute longer._ _

__Caleb snapped his fingers and the calming weight of Frumpkin settled on his shoulders.  
“You are a good cat.” He murmured, scritching the cat’s head. Frumpkin made a noise that indicated his agreement and he licked Caleb’s ear. _ _

__“Marius don’t try to hide from me, I see you behind that shelf!” Beau shouted across the room. A young blond half elf sheepishly stepped out from behind the bookcase, clutching his papers to his chest. “Get out of here, go get a life” She added, shooing the harried student towards the door. The others soon followed, choosing to leave of their own accord rather than risk Beau’s ire._ _

__Not long after they locked up the library and headed towards home. Caleb usually enjoyed the walk home. He and Beauregard would spend the walk debriefing the research of the day, trading facts and swapping theories. Tonight he let Beau monopolize the conversation on the way back. He only added the occasional affirmative noise to let her know he was paying attention. It was because he was not in fact actually paying attention that it took him a moment to realize Beau had stopped talking. He turned to see her looking across the quad at the greenhouse._ _

__The very distinctive silhouette of the new groundskeeper was leaning over a table covered in plants. She was a tall muscular woman with long black hair that faded to white at the ends. He’d only met her once, when he was making his way across campus a few days ago. She had a Xhorhasian accent, though she didn’t seem to have the same distaste for the Empire the Shadowhand had displayed. She’d seemed nice enough. Nothing he knew about her explained why they were standing outside the greenhouse staring at her while she worked._ _

__“Beauregard?” He said softly, glancing between her and the greenhouse. “You ah, know each other?”_ _

__“What? No. No she just came in one time looking for a book is all.”_ _

__Recognition dawned. “This wouldn’t be the tome you told Archivist Xenon was imperative for your research and haven’t touched in the last week?” Amusement tinged his voice. “The one on rare plant diseases?” It was a limited edition and Archivist Xenon had been loathe to part with it from the heated end of the conversation he’d overheard. But it had arrived the next day, neatly wrapped in a blue cloth._ _

__“No. Maybe. She just...you know. She just seemed to really need it.” Beau said, rubbing the back of her neck. It was dark but Caleb could have sworn he saw her blush._ _

__“Well then you should tell her it came in.” He made a shooing motion._ _

__“Nah I mean she looks really busy.”_ _

__“You can either go over there and tell her about the book or I will tell Jester about the tall mysterious woman you’re crushing on.” Caleb said with a smile._ _

__“That’s low” Beau scowled at him._ _

__“Well? I am pulling out my phone now. I am opening it.” Caleb was undeterred, he flipped the phone open pointedly and started ever so slowly punching buttons._ _

__“Caleb!”_ _

__“I am dialing Jester’s number. One. Eight. Three--”_ _

__“UGH Fine.” Beau shoved his phone closed and sped across the quad towards the greenhouse. Caleb smiled and watched as she tapped on the glass and awkwardly waved at the groundskeeper...Yasha, that was her name. The taller woman turned and when she saw Beau she walked over to the door and opened it. He couldn’t make out any of the conversation from where he stood, but there were a couple minutes of awkward hand waving from Beau that ended in a double thumbs up that Yasha returned. A good sign he hoped. The taller woman waved goodbye as Beau half jogged back over to Caleb._ _

__“Well?” He asked innocently._ _

__“Yeah good. It was uh good. She’s coming to get it tomorrow.” Beau was definitely blushing._ _

__“I am glad. It’s hard to focus on my research when you’re next to me pining over a book.” Caleb stepped away, anticipating her swipe, but she was faster than he was and landed the punch. He let out a soft laugh and rubbed his shoulder. She smirked at him and mussed his hair. As they continued on their way Beau picked up where she left off, launching into a description of the journal she'd been reading. Apparently it had belonged to one of the early rulers of the Empire, she spent the rest of the walk regaling him with the gossip and intrigue of a court long dead._ _

__Maybe he hadn’t given himself away, Caleb thought as they approached the house and he heard Jester and Nott's laughter float through an open window mingled with the smell of fresh pancakes. The Shadowhand hadn’t seemed to recognize him. He could just avoid him from now on. He'd keep out of the library for a few days just to be safe. Maybe for once in his life he wouldn't have to run._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments! I hope y'all enjoy!


	3. In which Essek Hides in His Office and Receives an Invitation He Can't Refuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Essek has a no good very bad day.

Essek glided into his office, closing the door firmly behind him. That...had not gone well. Teaching adolescents the base theories of the arcane was not what he’d signed up for when he accepted the position of Shadowhand. Teaching adolescents whose parents and siblings had fought against him in the war was so far outside anything he could have prepared for, It was honestly a wonder he’d made it three weeks without disaster. But it seemed his luck was not meant to last. One of them had decided to ask about his military service, rather than the lecture he’d spend hours preparing. It had been a good lecture too, he thought mournfully. And now all they would remember was that he’d snapped at that boy. At least it had been his last class of the day. And night would fall soon which, if he was lucky, would do away with the pounding in his head. 

His pocket buzzed and he pulled a sleek smartphone from inside his mantle. He saw the ambassador’s name flash across the screen and he pinched the bridge of his nose, setting the phone on his desk. Perhaps she’d simply leave a message he could pretend he hadn’t seen. The buzzing finally, blessedly, stopped. Just as he started to relax it started to buzz again. So it was going to be one of _those _conversations. He gave in after the fourth ring and snatched the phone from the desk, bringing it up to his ear.__

__“Yes?” He demanded._ _

__“Shadowhand, I trust you are well.” It was less of an inquiry and more of a statement of fact. He’d begged off an event once by faking a stomach ache, and she clearly wasn’t willing to risk a repeat offense._ _

__“What do you want, Ambassador?” Essek had lost patience with her increasing list of ridiculous demands mere days into this useless experiment._ _

__“I just wanted to make sure you received the invitation to the ball in two weeks' time.”_ _

__Essek glanced over to the drawer where he’d shoved the gaudy letter. It was to celebrate the lasting peace between their people and the proceeds were supposed to go to some war orphans fund or another. He had no time to smile at thinly veiled insults and listen to meaningless small talk that the people of the Empire seemed so fond of. The orphans would get their money whether or not he attended. “Not that I recall,” He said slowly. “Perhaps I am not on the list.”_ _

__“You are the Shadowhand, of course you are on the list.” She chided, “I received an inquiry regarding your RSVP and I marked you down as attending with a plus one.”_ _

__Essek blinked, “I do not have a plus one.”_ _

__“Well you have two weeks to find one. Perhaps one of your colleagues at the University? I seem to recall you mentioning everything was going smoothly for you there. It will be good to see someone of your station forging bonds in the empire.”_ _

__“Ah yes. I’ll have to see if anyone is available.” Essek had lied about that as well, it was easier than explaining to the ambassador that as he had never had anyone he would call a friend before, he had no intention of befriending a denizen of the empire. “It is short notice, and I know many of them plan their Friday nights far in advance.” There was a pause as he realized he’d misstepped, she hadn't mentioned which day the ball was to be held. The Ambassador let his stew in his mistake for a moment before responding._ _

__“Excellent. I look forward to seeing you both there. I’ll send a car to be sure you don’t have any trouble finding your way.” She said smoothly. “Goodnight Shadowhand, a pleasure as always.”_ _

__Before Essek could protest, the line went dead. He scowled down at the phone. The Ambassador was not cowed by his title, and she willfully ignored his requests to be left to his own devices. She’d been school friends with his mother, and while he technically outranked an ambassador, he couldn’t ignore a direct order from the Umavi of his den. And so he was bullied into various ridiculous diplomatic activities that drastically cut into his research time._ _

__He glanced at the other letter he’d been avoiding, it was sheathed in an unassuming blank envelope and held only a piece of parchment with a time and date. He was to give an update at the end of the week and he had nothing. He’d laid a great deal of hope that the tome he’d procured from the library would hold the key to transmuting the essence into something more tangible._ _

__He’d done everything right, following the rules laid out by Hughnon to the letter, only to be rewarded with no results to speak of. He started his small coffee machine with a twirl of his finger and sat down in his chair. He didn’t want to think about facing the class again, and searching for a...date was clearly out of the question. So he set to the one thing he could focus on, and reached for Hughnon’s book, determined to give it one last try. As he pulled the tome towards himself his eyes fell on the treatise he’d been strongarmed into borrowing. It was laying on the far edge of the desk where he’d tossed it the night before._ _

__His hand hovered over the books a moment before he finally picked up the treatise. What had that scruffy man said? Counterpoints to the 12th law? He sighed, it wasn’t as if he had any better ideas. He certainly wasn’t going to leave the refuge of his office until he was absolutely sure he wouldn’t run into another overly curious student._ _

__He flipped it open and scanned the first page, then he quickly turned to the second page, and then the third. Four hours later he had read it twice, taking detailed notes the second time. He’d made his way through nearly an entire pot of coffee and was practically buzzing._ _

__He could see the shape of the puzzle now, he only needed to put together the pieces. Timoren must have either encountered dunamancy before, or experimented with transmuting slippery materials. Perhaps that scruffy fellow was an Archivist after all, that would explain why he seemed familiar. Essek had been given a tour of the library upon his arrival and he'd met a handful of Archivists at the time. It was good to know that there was at least one person who knew what they were talking about in this godsforsaken place. He’d have to consult him to see if Timoren had any further insight on the subject of transmutation. Or perhaps he knew of other scholars that followed a similar vein._ _

__Energized at that thought, he stood and cleaned his coffee mug with a wave of his hand. He glanced out the window, darkness had come hours ago. The students would be gone from the building by now, doing whatever it was they did when they weren’t doodling in his classroom. Essek adjusted his mantle and straightened his posture. He hovered over to the door and emerged from his office with renewed purpose and a calculated certainty that nothing would stand in his way._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the wonderful comments, I really appreciate them!


	4. In Which Essek Searches for an Archivist and Beau tries to flirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Essek just wants a study buddy, Beau is very suspicious.

Beau had come in earlier than usual, which always seemed to set the archivists on edge for some reason. When she announced she was going to man the desk the junior archivist just stared up at her, and after it was clear she was serious, asked if she was alright. She’d flipped him off, and he seemed mollified and appalled all at once. She spent the next couple of hours ignoring him except to send him scurrying after books she needed. 

Before she knew it the archivists were leaving for the evening and still no sign of Yasha. She buried herself further into her books, always keeping an ear towards the door as she tried to focus on what she was reading. The door creaked open a little after 2AM and she scowled when she saw Thelyss drift through the door. He was the reason she was flying solo tonight. Caleb would normally be ecstatic to come into the library early. But he’d made some lame excuse today about having something to do around the house. 

She _liked _researching with Caleb. He got his own books and he seemed to actually enjoy helping people find whatever they needed in the library, so she could just kick back and do her real work. He was smart too, always ready to help pick apart a theory or debate some obscure history fact. They’d almost gotten him to the point where he didn’t look over his shoulder all the time. Or at least she’d thought they did. She hadn’t seen him this bad off since...well since they’d first met and she caught him and Nott breaking into the library.__

__Beau had immediately clocked the goblin as a self taught brawler, nothing she couldn’t take. But she’d seen the practiced stillness and readied fingers of the man before, or at least battle mages like him. And she’d seen the kind of damage they could do in the field. Only the war mages she’d met didn’t have the look of abject terror she’d seen on his face._ _

__She’d given them an ultimatum, tell her why they were breaking into her library or she’d call the guard. After a brief whispered argument they agreed. It turned out the goblin in front of her wasn’t a goblin at all, and Caleb was trying to find a way to turn her back into a halfling. There was something about his desperate earnestness that convinced her. She’d agreed to let him use the library to research at night, as long as he promised not to get in her way. One thing led to another and now she couldn’t imagine life at number nine without them._ _

__And now some stranger was threatening all that and she barely knew anything about him._ _

__“We’re closed.” She said, raising her book up in front of her face. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the man pointedly turned to look at the students sitting at various tables working._ _

__“You don’t look closed.” He said cooly. “But you needn’t trouble yourself Novice. I would like to speak with one of your archivists. He was here last night. He has a zemnian accent?”_ _

__Like hell. “Nope, All the archivists go home at eight. Sorry man, can’t help you.”_ _

__“Maybe a professor then? He was quite familiar with the layout of the library.” The dark elf insisted._ _

__“They don’t come in after eight.” Professors always wanted hands on assistance, she couldn’t get any of her own research done if she was doing theirs. It had taken some work, but with Jester and Nott’s help, she’d taken back the night shift for herself._ _

__“Perhaps a graduate student then?” He asked with a touch of familiar annoyance._ _

__She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she leaned back in her chair to get a better look. “MARIUS THAT BETTER NOT BE A FUCKING SODA NEAR MY BOOKS.” The student jumped and guiltily shoved the bottle back in his bag. She turned back to see the professor staring at her with a familiar look of dismay._ _

__“You can’t expect me to know the students' names.” Beau said flatly. “Anyway we’re closed, you’ll have to come back in the morning.” She nodded at the sign on the desk that clearly stated their hours, 8am-1am. She was so focused on shadowdick she hadn’t heard the library door click open._ _

__“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were closed.” Yasha said from behind him. “The door was unlocked so I just…” Beau’s mind went blank. She was fluent in six languages but every time she saw the woman she lost all ability to speak like a normal human being._ _

__“Closed? Nah we’re uh super open. It’s really more of a guideline than a well...firm time.” She trailed off awkwardly._ _

__“Oh, good. I didn’t want to miss--” Yasha paused. “The book. I didn’t want to miss the book.”_ _

__This was why she needed Caleb, Beau thought. She was going to completely fuck this up._ _

__“Oh yeah of course, let me just grab that for you.”_ _

__There was a pointed cough from Shadowdick and Beau scowled. “No zemnian dude here, so sorry I couldn’t help. Goodbye.” She made a shooing motion at him. He looked between her and Yasha with a raised eyebrow before finally giving in with a huff. He turned, and she could swear he cast a spell, there was no way his mantle swept that dramatically by itself. She made a face at his back as he glided out._ _

__Beau turned back to see Yasha staring at her.  
“Ah sorry long story, he’s kinda a dick.” She rubbed the back of her neck and smiled at Yasha. _ _

__“Not that long a story then.” Yasha gave her a small smile._ _

__“Yeah I guess not.” Beau laughed and pulled open one of the desk drawers. “So uh plant diseases huh?,” She asked, pulling the book out and holding it up. “Are the little dudes okay?”_ _

__“I don’t know.” Yasha admitted, passing Beau her ID. “There’s a strange sort of fungus, I haven’t been able to get rid of it.”_ _

__“I have a friend that’s pretty good with fungus. If this doesn’t have what you’re looking for.” Beau scanned the book._ _

__“I will remember that. Thank you…” The woman trailed off . “I’m sorry I don’t know your name.”_ _

__“Oh! Beau, I’m Beau.”_ _

__“I’m Yasha,”_ _

__Beau really thought it was a testament to her training that she didn’t tell the woman she knew her name already because she’d looked her up in the staff registry after she came in the first time. She scrawled her number on one of the stiff paper bookmarks the archivists were so fond of and passed it along with the book and ID back across the counter._ _

__“If you uh need that consult. Or just want to chat.”_ _

__The woman took the items back and considered the bookmark for a moment before tucking everything in her bag. “Thank you Beau.”_ _

__“Yeah! Of course. Just you know, doing my job.” Beau made finger guns and flashed what she hoped was a charming smile._ _

__The other woman gave her a soft smile before turning and walking out into the night._ _

__Beau shut the library down not long after. Once all the students had left, she stopped by the head archivist's desk and left a short note with clear instructions. She wanted to know exactly who Essek Thelyss was and what he wanted with Caleb._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this one out, it wasn't quite forming up how I wanted it to. If you're in the US and haven't already don't forget to vote!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into fan fiction so I hope y'all enjoy it! The others will show up soon, It's mostly focused on Caleb and Essek and then of course the masters of Gay Panic Beau and Yasha.


End file.
